I'm Here
by Seraphim210
Summary: Another emotional story. Tifa copes with Rude, Cloud moves out and away. A small gift, for his love. "Wait for me."


_Another One Shot I made for a friend. _

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**I'm Here. **- One Shot, by Seraphim210.

Pieces. Their family was in pieces. Marlene and Denzel with Barrett…Tifa working her bar with the help of Rude—the ex-Turk who had finally decided to get a real job as a bouncer and bar hand…time to settle down! ShinRa was near dead. So…

Reno would come and visit the bar quite a bit. Why? For two main reasons: to see Rude, and that beautiful, busty barmaid—Lockhart. Naturally, every line he hit on her would irritate the hell out of Cloud. The blonde couldn't take it—so he left. For good.

Cloud had saved and earned for quite some time; and finally he had mustered up enough Gil to move out into his own mini apartment. It was one open floor, nothing much—a bed and sofa here, and makeshift kitchen there. It was enough. More than enough for him. Alone. Of course his absence worried Tifa to no end—the sweet, chocolate haired woman was madly in love with him after all…She had chased after him, helped him, loved him…for many, many years. Years upon years. . .Cloud, however—was never ready for commitment…and their lives moved on. Slow and steady…

Aerith and Zack…of course the memories of them haunted him, teased him, hurt him, deprived him…but Cloud did his best to hide all of that in front of the other people he cared about. The last thing he wanted to do was worry them too. Being alone was one thing…that could help hide his pain. So no one could see, basically. In that vast web of emotion, something was prominent. It was a shard, a fragment of light seeping through glorious, glorious….clouds!

It was love. His unfathomable love for Tifa Lockhart. He remembered all of the times he had spent with her, every waking moment, touch, gift, warmth, love…heart. He remembered how they used to sleep with one another in that very warm, comforting bed…the way their fingers fit perfectly in each other hand.

Smiling at those thoughts, Cloud wrapped his very thoughtful arms around his torso. Flicking his sharp, glistening eyes up to the bland wall in front of him, he huffed a gentle breath. Tifa…Tifa…Tifa…He loved her dearly; ever since childhood. And he had never forgotten that promise; that loving, tender promise…under those stars, /that/ sky…The sky they shared every day. Along with the happiness the memory of Tifa brought him, something else came along too…a shadow of that bliss. A dark…dark…shadow. A shadow that embodied pain, envy, grief, hardship, and….guilt.  
"Mh…" Cloud stopped hugging himself, and leaned forward—folding his forearms onto the table like a layer of chocolate cascading over the previous layer. He furrowed his eyebrows, and selflessly nestled his porcelain face into his warm arms. The delivery boy wanted nothing more than to apologize to Tifa, to make her feel better, to actually give her the love she rightfully deserved after all those years of waiting, being patient. She was most likely more than crushed at the very simple fact that he had left her yet /again/…He knew well that Tifa was use to it—but this was different; Cloud had actually /left/ the bar. His old home. They were now both officially separated. What would Zack do in a situation like this? If it were Aerith…would she understand? Cloud wondered…and nodded off; continually tormented by his own thoughts even in his dreams…He had to do something for her. To at least…show her he cared.

A week had passed, and Tifa was working in the bar as usual; wiping down counters and preparing to open up for the night. Rude was sweeping up the place casually; the man really had a soft spot for Lockhart…he always had, and Tifa knew that well. She felt empathy for him. In a way, they were far more alike than meets the eye. "Tifa, you check the mail today?"

"No, could you check for me? I have to set these drinks back into the cooler; they're new after all," came a nonchalant reply from the lips of Tifa Lockhart. Rude smiled and nodded; and set the broom aside—heading straight out the front doors a moment after.

Mail…Tifa would always check her phone constantly; wondering if Cloud would ever contact her…tell her how he was, and what he was up to nowadays. A call never came, and mail, be it a letter, voice, package—nothing came. Sighing gently, she filed a few drinks into the kitchen which was located behind the bar.

Coming back inside, Rude held a few letters in hand. One of them…was a bit thicker than the others. "Tifa, maillll," Rude called, placing the stack onto the bar counter.

"Coming." The dark haired beauty soon appeared behind the bar counter…she noticed Rude quirk an eyebrow. "Something wrong?" She asked, a little confused.

"A letter from Cloud…" he pointed, seeing the name 'from Cloud' on the back of the white papered envelope.

"Cloud…?" She mumbled, a bit in disbelief. Picking up the letter from the counter hastily, she opened it up after flicking her maroon eyes at Rude for a brief second. Once it was opened, she pulled out a letter…A letter?! She read with calm eyes; and a blissfully shocked, tender mind…

It read: _/Hey Teef…I know I usually don't write…especially like this, in letters but…I'm sorry. For…not being there for you for the past few years. I tried…But it's much harder than it looks. A lot has happened, and I know it hurts you too. All of those memories…you know me better than anybody else. Give me some time. I know you'd tell me to stop running, but in all honesty—I'm not. I'm recovering…in my own way. One death after another, one battle after the next. All I need is some time and space, and…you've waited long enough I know. Maybe I AM being selfish, maybe I'm not doing the right thing…but…  
I'm sorry.  
I'll…always love you.  
Wait for me.  
-Cloud Strife._

Tears soon came steaming; trailing…down her face. Wiping it away with the side of her wrist, she realized it didn't matter. For now, Cloud wouldn't be back…but at least he wrote to her. At least he let her know, let her in…even though it was just a little. "Tifa…is everything alright? You okay?" Rude asked, coming around the bar counter and placing his hand between her shoulder blades. Whatever was in that letter…was powerful, wasn't it?

Letting a couple drops of clarity hit the fuzzy page; Tifa wondered if those water stains would help unravel Cloud's words…would help her make sense of it all and cope better. It didn't. But that comforting hand did. Turning to face Rude, Tifa buried her face into the taller man's chest. Of course this man wasn't what she wanted, wasn't that very beautiful blonde…but it was something. Her dear friend and helping hand. If she didn't have Cloud, at least she had friends like Rude to get through it all with. "I'm…alright, don't worry…He'll be back soon, I know he will!" She dug her nimble fingers into Rude's shirt, holding on tightly as if her dear life depended on it.

Rude petted her gently, breathing steadily in the process. He hoped that maybe she'd mimic him; maybe his calmness would soothe her. The way Cloud affected her was crazy, in his opinion…he even envied the other; but that was natural, that was life. For now…he'd continue to provide. He loved her. "As long as you believe in him, he /will/ be back…" he continued to hold her for quite some time.  
Little did Tifa realize, that tucked inside the envelope was a small silver chain…A beautiful wolf emblem, a pendant—one that matched Cloud's signature ones…was attached to it. A necklace for his love. A guardian for her, while he was away…


End file.
